Legendary Boston Celtics big man and a civil rights icon in his own right Bill Russell tweeted a few words about his brother in arms John Lewis, after the civil rights champion and Representative for Georgia’s fifth district since 1986 passed on Saturday.
Russell, who participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, had been invited to speak at it, but revealed 50 years later that he had demurred, “because the organizers had worked for years” to put it together, and he hadn’t felt he’d done anything worthy of such an honor in comparison.
John Lewis was one of those people he was referring to.
Saturday night, Russell tweeted:
“Rep. John Lewis was the youngest speaker [at] the March on Washington & continued to fight for justice throughout his eighty years. The world has lost a great man, but the fight goes on. Honor him by restoring the #VotingRightsAct & getting in good trouble. Rest in power, my friend.”
Russell, along with Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and June Shagaloff Alexander is one of just a handful of prominent participants still alive from that most important moments in U.S. history.
He joined Lewis in seeing yet another wave of civil rights protests still ongoing in the U.S. now that gave the former Celtic hope for the future, taken up by many across the NBA including several current Boston players.
The future of their work now lies with that generation — and they seem ready for the struggle.
